Iraq.

 

 

Image courtesy of Radio Free Europe.

 

        If your are able to get down to the Nottingham area around the end of September then this would be the place to visit. The Iraq war was probably the most brutal act of subterfuge and downright lying by any state in history. The callous description of "Shock and Awe" translated into the savage destruction of a country and the killing of hundreds of thousands plus the displacement of millions of innocent people. We must never let this brutal crime be lost in history, it must be continually brought to the public to make them aware of what our lords and masters are capable of in their quest for power, privilege and wealth.

Image courtesy of The Independent

From the Sparrows Nest

 

          Although our initial dates in July could not go ahead, the power cutting gremlins could not stop us for long - the photo exhibition re local opposition to the 2003 Iraq Invasion is back on!

          Regime Change Begins at Home - Nottingham Opposition to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq

https://peopleshistreh.wordpress.com/2023/08/01/rescheduled-regime-change-begins-at-home-nottingham-opposition-to-the-2003-invasion-of-iraq-21-24-sep-2023/

An exhibition of photographs and local campaign materials at Broadway Cinema.

21st to 24th September 2023 – Free Event.

             This exhibition marks the twentieth anniversary of the disastrous invasion of Iraq and looks back at the movement which opposed it. The anniversary seems to have passed with surprisingly little mainstream comment – something we want to go some way to addressing. We will display images of protests in Nottingham taken by local photographer Alan Lodge (aka Tash), contextualised with leaflets, newsletters and other materials, mostly from the collections of the Sparrows’ Nest Library and Archive.

Exhibition Opening Times

Thu 21st Sep 7pm-9pm

        Opening event with Alan Simpson, ex Labour MP who opposed the war.

Fri 22nd Sep Midday to 5pm

Sat 23rd Sep Midday to 7pm

           All day: deposit documents and record your stories. Donate relevant materials for posterity and share your memories of the campaign when you drop in to see the exhibition.

Sun 24th Sep Midday to 7pm

       All day: deposit documents and record your stories.

         2pm: Guided history walk Agitating the Lawless Rabble, starting at the Left Lion (Council House), ending at the back of Broadway Cinema.

Featuring Photographs by Alan Lodge (aka Tash)

https://alanlodge.co.uk

 

Visit ann arky at https://spiritofrevolt.info   

War.

 

           My only criticism of this advert is the title, A war that should never have happened. In my nearly 89 years on this planet I have yet to know of a war that should have happened, unless we talk about the Class War. Also Blair and Bush didn't start the war, they didn't wake up one morning and decided to have a war with Iraq, it was the big Western multi-national corporations, who wanted their hands on Iraq's oil and to dollarise Iraq in the process. Blair and Bush were merely the pawns tasked with managing that process to war. Despite these small criticisms, I give my full support to the campaign for peace and attempting to stop all wars, which will require a complete change away from the insane economic system that shackles our lives.

This from Stop the War Coalition.

 Iraq-20 years on: A war that should never have happened.

          The invasion of Iraq launched twenty years ago by George Bush and Tony Blair was a catastrophe for the Iraqi people and had a disastrous impact across the Middle East and beyond. It led to a million deaths, the displacement of millions more, the destabilisation of the region and a deep anger against the Western powers across whole areas of the globe.

It also generated the biggest anti-war movement in history.
           Stop the War is marking the anniversary of the war with an evening of remembrance and analysis from Iraqi activists and other leading anti-war figures including Lowkey, Sami Ramadani, Raghad Al-Tikriti, Tariq Ali and Lindsey German.

 

Visit ann arky's home at https://spiritofrevolt.info
 

+The Sabre.

      This little rant in no way shape or form supports Russia's action in Ukraine. However I do get frustrated at the continuing double standards that seems to be accepted from our media. At the moment we have Western journalists in a frenzy in Ukraine, showing us the anguish, stress and fear of the ordinary people in Ukraine at Russia's actions. I don't recall any such media frenzy inside Iraq showing the same feelings borne by the people of Iraq at the start of America's Shock-and-Awe. The frenzy was all from our side showing with some pride the massive destruction of a country. At the moment we are witnessing land being grab from the Palestinian people by the Zionist state of Israel, hardly a peep from our media. Israel is bombing military bases in Syria, where is the media? Saudi Arabia is destroying Yemen, more or less silence from our so balanced media. Can you say how many countries America has invade? Well in fact there are only three countries on the planet that have not seen US military on their soil Andorra, Bhutan, and Liechtenstein. Countries invaded by America is quite a staggering list. There are more countries invade, threatened or blockaded by America than by any other country on the planet. Not much of a media frenzy in most of these cases.

COUNTRY OR STATE	Dates of intervention	Forces	Comments
SOUTH DAKOTA	1890 (-?)	Troops	300 Lakota Indians massacred at Wounded Knee.
ARGENTINA	1890	Troops	Buenos Aires interests protected.
CHILE	1891	Troops	Marines clash with nationalist rebels.
HAITI	1891	Troops	Black revolt on Navassa defeated.
IDAHO	1892	Troops	Army suppresses silver miners’ strike.
HAWAII	1893 (-?)	Naval, troops	Independent kingdom overthrown, annexed.
CHICAGO	1894	Troops	Breaking of rail strike, 34 killed.
NICARAGUA	1894	Troops	Month-long occupation of Bluefields.
CHINA	1894-95	Naval, troops	Marines land in Sino-Japanese War
KOREA	1894-96	Troops	Marines kept in Seoul during war.
PANAMA	1895	Troops, naval	Marines land in Colombian province.
NICARAGUA	1896	Troops	Marines land in port of Corinto.
CHINA	1898-1900	Troops	Boxer Rebellion fought by foreign armies.
PHILIPPINES	1898-1910 (-?)	Naval, troops	Seized from Spain, killed 600,000 Filipinos
CUBA	1898-1902 (-?)	Naval, troops	Seized from Spain, still hold Navy base.
PUERTO RICO	1898 (-?)	Naval, troops	Seized from Spain, occupation continues.
GUAM	1898 (-?)	Naval, troops	Seized from Spain, still use as base.
MINNESOTA	1898 (-?)	Troops	Army battles Chippewa at Leech Lake.
NICARAGUA	1898	Troops	Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur.
SAMOA	1899 (-?)	Troops	Battle over succession to throne.
NICARAGUA	1899	Troops	Marines land at port of Bluefields.
IDAHO	1899-1901	Troops	Army occupies Coeur d’Alene mining region.
OKLAHOMA	1901	Troops	Army battles Creek Indian revolt.
PANAMA	1901-14	Naval, troops	Broke off from Colombia 1903, annexed Canal Zone; Opened canal 1914.
HONDURAS	1903	Troops	Marines intervene in revolution.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC	1903-04	Troops	U.S. interests protected in Revolution.
KOREA	1904-05	Troops	Marines land in Russo-Japanese War.
CUBA	1906-09	Troops	Marines land in democratic election.
NICARAGUA	1907	Troops	“Dollar Diplomacy” protectorate set up.
HONDURAS	1907	Troops	Marines land during war with Nicaragua
PANAMA	1908	Troops	Marines intervene in election contest.
NICARAGUA	1910	Troops	Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto.
HONDURAS	1911	Troops	U.S. interests protected in civil war.
CHINA	1911-41	Naval, troops	Continuous occupation with flare-ups.
CUBA	1912	Troops	U.S. interests protected in civil war.
PANAMA	1912	Troops	Marines land during heated election.
HONDURAS	1912	Troops	Marines protect U.S. economic interests.
NICARAGUA	1912-33	Troops, bombing	10-year occupation, fought guerillas
MEXICO	1913	Naval	Americans evacuated during revolution.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC	1914	Naval	Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo.
COLORADO	1914	Troops	Breaking of miners’ strike by Army.
MEXICO	1914-18	Naval, troops	Series of interventions against nationalists.
HAITI	1914-34	Troops, bombing	19-year occupation after revolts.
TEXAS	1915	Troops	Federal soldiers confront “Plan of San Diego” Mexican rebels
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC	1916-24	Troops	8-year Marine occupation.
CUBA	1917-33	Troops	Military occupation, economic protectorate.
WORLD WAR I	1917-18	Naval, troops	Ships sunk, fought Germany for 1 1/2 years.
RUSSIA	1918-22	Naval, troops	Five landings to fight Bolsheviks
PANAMA	1918-20	Troops	“Police duty” during unrest after elections.
HONDURAS	1919	Troops	Marines land during election campaign.
YUGOSLAVIA	1919	Troops/Marines	intervene for Italy against Serbs in Dalmatia.
GUATEMALA	1920	Troops	2-week intervention against unionists.
WEST VIRGINIA	1920-21	Troops, bombing	Army intervenes against mineworkers.
TURKEY	1922	Troops	Fought nationalists in Smyrna.
CHINA	1922-27	Naval, troops	Deployment during nationalist revolt.
MEXICO HONDURAS	1923 1924-25	Bombing Troops	Airpower defends Calles from rebellion Landed twice during election strife.
PANAMA	1925	Troops	Marines suppress general strike.
CHINA	1927-34	Troops	Marines stationed throughout the country.
EL SALVADOR	1932	Naval	Warships send during Marti revolt.
WASHINGTON DC	1932	Troops	Army stops WWI vet bonus protest.
WORLD WAR II	1941-45	Naval, troops, bombing, nuclear	Hawaii bombed, fought Japan, Italy and Germay for 3 years; first nuclear war.
DETROIT	1943	Troops	Army put down Black rebellion.
IRAN	1946	Nuclear threat	Soviet troops told to leave north.
YUGOSLAVIA	1946	Nuclear threat, naval	Response to shoot-down of US plane.
URUGUAY	1947	Nuclear threat	Bombers deployed as show of strength.
GREECE	1947-49	Command operation	U.S. directs extreme-right in civil war.
GERMANY	1948	Nuclear Threat	Atomic-capable bombers guard Berlin Airlift.
CHINA	1948-49	Troops/Marines	evacuate Americans before Communist victory.
PHILIPPINES	1948-54	Command operation	CIA directs war against Huk Rebellion.
PUERTO RICO	1950	Command operation	Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce.
KOREA	1951-53 (-?)	Troops, naval, bombing , nuclear threats	U.S./So. Korea fights China/No. Korea to stalemate; A-bomb threat in 1950, and against China in 1953. Still have bases.
IRAN	1953	Command Operation	CIA overthrows democracy, installs Shah.
VIETNAM	1954	Nuclear threat	French offered bombs to use against seige.
GUATEMALA	1954	Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat	CIA directs exile invasion after new gov’t nationalized U.S. company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua.
EGYPT	1956	Nuclear threat, troops	Soviets told to keep out of Suez crisis; Marines evacuate foreigners.
LEBANON	l958	Troops, naval	Army & Marine occupation against rebels.
IRAQ	1958	Nuclear threat	Iraq warned against invading Kuwait.
CHINA	l958	Nuclear threat	China told not to move on Taiwan isles.
PANAMA	1958	Troops	Flag protests erupt into confrontation.
VIETNAM	l960-75	Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats	Fought South Vietnam revolt & North Vietnam; one million killed in longest U.S. war; atomic bomb threats in l968 and l969.
CUBA	l961	Command operation	CIA-directed exile invasion fails.
GERMANY	l961	Nuclear threat	Alert during Berlin Wall crisis.
LAOS	1962	Command operation	Military buildup during guerrilla war.
CUBA	l962	Nuclear threat, naval	Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union.
IRAQ	1963	Command operation	CIA organizes coup that killed president, brings Ba’ath Party to power, and Saddam Hussein back from exile to be head of the secret service.
PANAMA	l964	Troops	Panamanians shot for urging canal’s return.
INDONESIA	l965	Command operation	Million killed in CIA-assisted army coup.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC	1965-66	Troops, bombing	Army & Marines land during election campaign.
GUATEMALA	l966-67	Command operation	Green Berets intervene against rebels.
DETROIT	l967	Troops	Army battles African Americans, 43 killed.
UNITED STATES	l968	Troops	After King is shot; over 21,000 soldiers in cities.
CAMBODIA	l969-75	Bombing, troops, naval	Up to 2 million killed in decade of bombing, starvation, and political chaos.
OMAN	l970	Command operation	U.S. directs Iranian marine invasion.
LAOS	l971-73	Command operation, bombing	U.S. directs South Vietnamese invasion; “carpet-bombs” countryside.
SOUTH DAKOTA	l973	Command operation	Army directs Wounded Knee siege of Lakotas.
MIDEAST	1973	Nuclear threat	World-wide alert during Mideast War.
CHILE	1973	Command operation	CIA-backed coup ousts elected marxist president.
CAMBODIA	l975	Troops, bombing	Gassing of captured ship Mayagüez, 28 troops die when copter shot down.
ANGOLA	l976-92	Command operation	CIA assists South African-backed rebels.
IRAN	l980	Troops, nuclear threat, aborted bombing	Raid to rescue Embassy hostages; 8 troops die in copter-plane crash. Soviets warned not to get involved in revolution.
LIBYA	l981	Naval jets	Two Libyan jets shot down in maneuvers.
EL SALVADOR	l981-92	Command operation, troops	Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash.
NICARAGUA	l981-90	Command operation, naval	CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution.
LEBANON	l982-84	Naval, bombing, troops	Marines expel PLO and back Phalangists, Navy bombs and shells Muslim positions. 241 Marines killed when Shi’a rebel bombs barracks.
GRENADA	l983-84	Troops, bombing	Invasion four years after revolution.
HONDURAS	l983-89	Troops	Maneuvers help build bases near borders.
IRAN	l984	Jets	Two Iranian jets shot down over Persian Gulf.
LIBYA	l986	Bombing, naval	Air strikes to topple Qaddafi gov’t.
BOLIVIA	1986	Troops	Army assists raids on cocaine region.
IRAN	l987-88	Naval, bombing	US intervenes on side of Iraq in war, defending reflagged tankers and shooting down civilian jet.
LIBYA	1989	Naval jets	Two Libyan jets shot down.
VIRGIN ISLANDS	1989	Troops	St. Croix Black unrest after storm.
PHILIPPINES	1989	Jets	Air cover provided for government against coup.
PANAMA	1989 (-?)	Troops, bombing	Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed.
LIBERIA	1990	Troops	Foreigners evacuated during civil war.
SAUDI ARABIA	1990-91	Troops, jets	Iraq countered after invading Kuwait. 540,000 troops also stationed in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Israel.
IRAQ	1990-91	Bombing, troops, naval	Blockade of Iraqi and Jordanian ports, air strikes; 200,000+ killed in invasion of Iraq and Kuwait; large-scale destruction of Iraqi military.
KUWAIT	1991	Naval, bombing, troops	Kuwait royal family returned to throne.
IRAQ	1991-2003	Bombing, naval	No-fly zone over Kurdish north, Shiite south; constant air strikes and naval-enforced economic sanctions
LOS ANGELES	1992	Troops	Army, Marines deployed against anti-police uprising.
SOMALIA	1992-94	Troops, naval, bombing	U.S.-led United Nations occupation during civil war; raids against one Mogadishu faction.
YUGOSLAVIA	1992-94	Naval	NATO blockade of Serbia and Montenegro.
BOSNIA	1993-?	Jets, bombing	No-fly zone patrolled in civil war; downed jets, bombed Serbs.
HAITI	1994	Troops, naval	Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup.
ZAIRE (CONGO)	1996-97	Troops	Troops at Rwandan Hutu refugee camps, in area where Congo revolution begins.
LIBERIA	1997	Troops	Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners.
ALBANIA	1997	Troops	Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners.
SUDAN	1998	Missiles	Attack on pharmaceutical plant alleged to be “terrorist” nerve gas plant.
AFGHANISTAN	1998	Missiles	Attack on former CIA training camps used by Islamic fundamentalist groups alleged to have attacked embassies.
IRAQ	1998	Bombing, Missiles	Four days of intensive air strikes after weapons inspectors allege Iraqi obstructions.
YUGOSLAVIA	1999	Bombing, Missiles	Heavy NATO air strikes after Serbia declines to withdraw from Kosovo. NATO occupation of Kosovo.
YEMEN	2000	Naval	USS Cole, docked in Aden, bombed.
MACEDONIA	2001	Troops	NATO forces deployed to move and disarm Albanian rebels.
UNITED STATES	2001	Jets, naval	Reaction to hijacker attacks on New York, DC
AFGHANISTAN	2001-21	Troops, bombing, missiles	Massive U.S. mobilization to overthrow Taliban, hunt Al Qaeda fighters, install Karzai regime, and battle Taliban insurgency. More than 30,000 U.S. troops and numerous private security contractors carry out occupation.
YEMEN	2002	Missiles	Predator drone missile attack on Al Qaeda, including a US citizen.
PHILIPPINES	2002-?	Troops, naval	Training mission for Philippine military fighting Abu Sayyaf rebels evolves into combat missions in Sulu Archipelago, west of Mindanao.
COLOMBIA	2003-?	Troops	US special forces sent to rebel zone to back up Colombian military protecting oil pipeline.
IRAQ	2003-11	Troops, naval, bombing, missiles	Saddam regime toppled in Baghdad. More than 250,000 U.S. personnel participate in invasion. US and UK forces occupy country and battle Sunni and Shi’ite insurgencies. More than 160,000 troops and numerous private contractors carry out occupation and build large permanent bases.
LIBERIA	2003	Troops	Brief involvement in peacekeeping force as rebels drove out leader.
HAITI	2004-05	Troops, naval	Marines & Army land after right-wing rebels oust elected President Aristide, who was advised to leave by Washington.
PAKISTAN	2005-?	Missiles, bombing, covert operation	CIA missile and air strikes and Special Forces raids on alleged Al Qaeda and Taliban refuge villages kill multiple civilians. Drone attacks also on Pakistani Mehsud network.
SOMALIA	2006-?	Missiles, naval, troops, command operation	Special Forces advise Ethiopian invasion that topples Islamist government; AC-130 strikes, Cruise missile attacks and helicopter raids against Islamist rebels; naval blockade against “pirates” and insurgents.
SYRIA	2008	Troops	Special Forces in helicopter raid 5 miles from Iraq kill 8 Syrian civilians
YEMEN	2009-?	Missiles, command operation	Cruise missile attack on Al Qaeda kills 49 civilians; Backing Saudi-Yemeni military assaults on rebels
LIBYA	2011-?	Bombing, missiles, troops, command operation	NATO coordinates air strikes and missile attacks against Qaddafi government during uprising by rebel army. Periodic Special Forces raids against Islamist insurgents.

IRAQ

2014-?

Bombing, missiles, troops, command operation

Air strikes and Special Forces intervene against Islamic State insurgents; training Iraqi and Kurdish troops. Attacks on pro-Iran militias & Iranian general.

SYRIA

2014-?

Bombing, missiles, troops, command operation

Air strikes and Special Forces intervene against Islamic State insurgents; training other Syrian insurgents; bombing alleged Syrian government chemical arms sites, bombing pro-Iran militia.

NIGER

2017

Troops

Special Forces combat against Islamist insurgents.

SAUDI ARABIA

2019-20

Troops

Mobilization against Iran in Saudi Arabia & UAE after drone attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure & Gulf tankers.

         What we are witnessing is the usual sabre rattling of imperialist powers, working at dividing our planet into controlled zones. America, the largest imperialist power, sees the rise of Russia and Chine as  a threat and for years has been working at trying to limit the growth of these rivals to its grip on the planet. It is only a matter of time before the sabre rattling develops into sabre slashing with the usual blood shed of ordinary people. The American imperialist will do anything no matter how brutal to retain their dominant position no matter the blood shed, just as the British Empire did before it. Only when we rid ourselves of state and power seeking conglomerations, all bent on power, control and wealth, will we be able to see peace among all people. 

Visit ann arky's home at 

http://strugglepedia.co.uk/index.php?title=Main_Page

9/11?

         As most Westerners remember 9/11, a dreadful tragedy in which almost 3,000 people died, a disaster which was a retaliation for Western imperialism from those who resent it most. It was an incident that marred so many innocent lives and those are the people our hearts must go out to in sympathy. However 3,000 deaths are dwarfed by the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, that have died at the hands of the Western imperialist foreign policies. From the Philippines, 1899-1902, Vietnam, 1969-1973, Iraq, 2003-2011, Afghanistan, 2001-2021, are just some of the Western imperialists foreign policies that have turned so many against the West.

                                                              Afghanistan.

                                                                   Chile.

                                                                   Iraq.

Vietnam.

        However, when we pay our respects to those who died in the American 9/11 we should also remember that other 9/11, the Chilean 9/11. September 11th. 1973, the U$A supported the overthrow of the elected Chilean government of Salvador Allende in a military coup by General Pinochet. This brutal dictator’s rule ushered in an era of savage state repression and brutality against any opposition, and didn’t end until 1990, by which time more that 3,000 Chileans were dead or missing, while thousands more had fled into exile. All this under the helping hand of the U$A imperialists.

 

FOREIGN POLICY.

Listless eyes, lifeless face
motionless body with hanging limbs
carried by a mother fleeing
foreign policy’s vicious whims.

No toys, no laughter
no playing in the sun,
a short pitiful life;
an Afghan child, 2001.

No plans, no choices
no hope by any name,
collateral damage
in the big players game.

 

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk    

A Paint Job.

 

 

         With the media and lots of the public entering a state of euphoria at the thought of a shiny new President of America, my thoughts turn to the hysteria and euphoria at the election of Tony Blair as UK Prime Minister, and Obama as President in U$A. The first, devout Christian Tony, ignored the will of millions of people as they protested against the illegal invasion of Iraq, and went ahead with his US buddy and decimated Iraq killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people, and the violence still continues today, he is now labelled by many as a war criminal. The other, Obama, the Pope of Peace, massively increased the number of drone strike assassinations and deported more people than any other U$A President in history. Now Biden takes the throne of the U$A imperial war machine, to thunderous applause, how soon will the thin veneer of "change" start to wear off.
        On the subject of change in the crown wearer, I couldn't help but post here a comment that was made to my previous post,     thanks Loam. 

 

       This is the translation of a song by the Cuban revolutionary Carlos Puebla, written when Henry Ford replaced Richard Nixon. Today, the same could be said for Trump and Biden.

EXPIRED CARS - Carlos Puebla

When they removed Nixon
there were those who asked me
what opinion did I have of Mister Ford.

Well look,
Ford seems to me, the same as Chevrolet.

Now tell me
what could i think
about the newly released
Mister Ford?

Well look,
Ford seems to me, the same as the Chevrolet.

Mister Ford is not a shoemaker
he is not a mechanic nor is he a painter
he's just another millionaire
Mister Ford.

Well look,
Ford seems to me, the same as the Chevrolet.

This notorious criminal [Nixon]
big buddy from saigon
leaves us a "great" inheritance:
Mister Ford.

Well look,
Ford seems to me, the same as the Chevrolet.

It's like an expired car
repaired and used
a repaired moron
Mister Ford.

Well look,
Ford seems to me, the same as the Chevrolet.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk  

Insanity.

        At the moment the favourite popcorn and bubble gum of the mainstream media is the pandemic and the Trump election. All else in the world is calm and not worth reporting, or so it would seem. However the horror of Iraq still spills blood in buckets full, all those years after we installed "Western democracy", Afghanistan still keeps adding to its dead and maimed, on a daily basis, after 19 years of Western attempts at bring the people "freedom" and to punish them for a event they had no part in, 9/11. Then there is Libya, where the West freed the people by getting rid of an evil man and turned the country into a blood letting tribal battle ground, and now it is about to once again explode as the Western powers have not got the compliant structure that would delivery what they wanted. Then let's not forget Syria, a country where millions have fled their homes, hundreds of thousands have been killed and the slaughter still goes on. A country where a world war is being fought with the people of Syria being the collateral damage. In that country at the moment, Israel, Turkey, Russia, and America, aided and abetted by the EU are shelling, bombing maiming and killing, while the media would have us all focus on the election between a lying, egotistical, psychological deranged, delusional idiot and an authoritarian, money grabbing, duplicitous manipulator, from which the outcome will not alter anything.

Libya

     Add to this mayhem and insanity, the gross ineptitude in handling this pandemic, with the powers that be keeping their emphasis on the economy as that is where their wealth and power lies, without their control of the economy they have nothing, and they will never allow that to happen. So expect this pandemic to continue with its stop-start, spike and leveling off, restrictions on-off and on again. In between all that saving the economy, people will die unnecessarily. And there are those who say that the human is a rational animal.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

The Coup!

       One of the US's favourite tactics for taking control of another countries resources is the "coup". It does this ruthlessly and has no consideration for the people of that country, their plight is of no concern to the millionaire/billionaire corporate gangs of parasites that control America and its policies. Over the years South America has been the theatre of American organised and backed coups, one so far successful, but meeting resistance is Bolivia, and one that never quite got off the ground is Venezuela. It is an on going strategy of America for control of the world's resources. Iran in the middle East is a permanent target. Where the coup fails, then there is always brute force in the way of an invasion preceded by an Armagedden of unbelievable weapons of mass destruction pored over the civilian population, Iraq, for example. 

        The recent coup in Bolivia is still meeting mass resistance, but as usual, this is met by the state, with ever growing brutal viciousness against that resistance by the people. They need our full support and solidarity, their struggle is our struggle, we live under the same savage exploitative system, it is all a matter of degree.

The following article is from Struggle La Lucha:  

 

         A 12-day national Bolivian blockade led by massive social movements, students, elders, unions and farmworkers ended on Aug. 13. It had paralyzed the entire country, resulting in food/fuel shortages and in the complete instability of the Andean nation itself. The blockade was temporarily lifted after the government agreed to have presidential elections on Oct. 18, but union workers forewarned that, if another delay occurs, expect more mobilizations to continue.
       On that same day, a terrorist attack by a group of hooded men used explosives against the centers of Las Bartolinas, a primary union organization of native Indigenous women, and of the COB, a union federation of Bolivian mineworkers. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the deliberate brutal attacks on rural Indigenous communities have the people on edge.

          Amid the blockades, student hunger strikes, privatization of natural resources, increased deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the deliberate abandonment/neglect foisted upon the Original Peoples, Bolivia continues to endure the worst state violence and political persecution it has seen in decades.
          Since the U.S.-backed coup took over, the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) and its Indigenous leaders have experienced non-stop civil unrest. On Aug. 18, the alt-right paramilitary group, Resistencia Juvenil Cochala (RJC), which is funded not only by the oligarchs but by the National Endowment for Democracy — a private “nongovernmental” operation that is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development — began passing out leaflets outside local banks with 39 images of Indigenous community leaders. The caption says, “MURDERERS REVEALED!! THESE ARE BOLIVIA’S ENEMIES!”
       One of the people listed is a young Quechua medical doctor and MAS member and leader, Marisol Coca Calderón, who resides in the Sacaba/Huayllani area, where a bloody massacre took place on Nov. 15, 2019. During a phone conversation with Calderón, she shared with me how she is being threatened and harassed daily. But because the de facto government supports and funds RJC, there is little she can do.
       For now, she continues to organize at a small local center called Juventudes de la Democracia Huayllani, which is a safe space for a community hit hard by the coup. There, they hold group meetings, provide support and guidance for one another and grow their own medicinal plants. I asked Calderón what people can do to help. Her response was, “Please keep speaking about us on social media. You are all our voices. We need your support more than ever. And, if people can help to keep the doors of our center open, it would be a major relief to not only the youth but to the widows and children of our protectors who were brutally killed in November.”
        If you would like to make a donation to help keep the Huayllani center open and to show your solidarity, please send to: Cash app: $AyniAllyuSolidarity. For more updates, please join us on our Facebook group, Ayni Allyu: The Official Llajta of Evo Morales & Indigenous Bolivians.

JALLALLA!
      Julia “Pachamama” Fernández is a Los Angeles Native/Quechua/Xicana organizer/activist and member of Ayni Allyu.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Quiet Bye-way.

     We live in a world where Covid19 casts a dark and frightening shadow, where the blood of imperial conflicts colour the seas and stain the land, where armies of innocent flee across man made borders to be greeted with cruelty and humiliation, where hunger's cruel claws tear at the young and the old. It is our world, a world we can't escape from but can try to alter. However from time to time I take a walk down another bye-way and seek a little respite in the land of poetry. Today I'll take that stroll.

     Though I like a laugh and a giggle, most of you who have read anything I have written will realise that those features seldom, if ever, find their way in to my written word. 

    The following poems are all from a wee book called, "They say I'm Crazy."

A couple on my mother's death:

The Lonely Wynd.

At the bed, death's waiting room,

the family muster,

with empty words wrapped in thoughts of death,

gaily chatter.

Outside, hungry birds feed, sing and fly,

their chirpy songs seem to call her death a lie,

but summer's sun

reaching through the window pane

sadly smiles,

knowing they'll never meet again.

I wonder,

in coma wrapped, what were your thoughts.

Pleasure,

looking back at what used to be?

Pride,

at how, to this life happiness you brought?

Perhaps it was a welcome rest from pain

a just pause in your long struggle,

alas too late, this enigma with me remains.

So rest, in your rest peace be your gain

for you dear mother, an end to trouble

as love's boundless force could not break

death's firm grasp upon your heart,

passionless devouring cancer 

unmoved by prayer on our part, 

took your hand along that lonely wynd,

death took time

fused the moment on our mind.

In the midst of family

alone dear mother you had to die.

That Part Of My Life.

Everywhere I walk,

she dies.

I walk the leaf covered park alone,

she dies.

In each glen, by each loch,

she dies.

In the midst of each merry throng,

she dies.

With everyone I meet,

she dies.

each time I think of times gone by,

she dies.

When the future I try to grasp,

she dies.

There is no place  can hide from

her death.

There is no act that can obscure

her death.

My life is now marked by

her death.

Her death now shapes my life.

On Western imperialism.

Remember Iraq.

Mammon, God of the New World Order

has spoken:

Any nation who blasphemes 

against the scriptures

of the Holy Free Market economy

shall find its people scorched by fires

that rain out of the western skies

and the people shall suffer perdition

through all eternity. 

All the world shall see

Mammon's hi-tec retribution.

A couple of personal views.

The Illusion.

How frail we are

how tenuous our hold,

what a strange trick of nature

that we should feel so bold.

To life tied by a silken thread

burning youth,

a new world vows to mould,

oblivious, as fate blindly cuts the thread,

without a sigh,    leaves sweet youth so cold.

Middle age with confidence comes,

experience expands the illusion.

We cover the world in words of wisdom

believing we

lead nature to the right conclusion,

but she with ease, a beauty all her own,

shows our naive plans as utter confusion.

At what age will we realise,

we always pay for our arrogant intrusion.

In old age we accept the fact

our time in nature's span is small.

How rich, life in nature's domain could be

if to foul greed we refuse to fall.

Accept, we as beggars in her presence stand,

man can flourish and grow tall,

act as her lord and master,

she'll cast man aside like a cheap rag doll. 

Buried Treasure.

Rich,    man I'm rich,

this life, this treasure chest of mine,

crammed full.

Those moments of ecstasy with forgotten names,

burning loves that broke the rules,

quiet meetings that burst into flames,

short lived loves

sealed with brittle vows.

Passions that sparkled and flashed

bringing warmth,     even now.

Ruby red anguish that shaped my heart,

diamond friendships this world can't part,

a son that changed this world to gold

adding pride to my treasure chest.

A daughter brought radiance beyond compare,

of precious gems,     they gave the best.

These jewels, these precious stones

this bounty beyond belief

all mine,

outshines a prince's throne.

A couple on the death of my dad.

Ten Years.

It's been ten years since, dad,

do you still remember,

how your coaldust cover body

clawed in that dark abyss

for your share of sixpence

to feed your hungry kids?

I do.

Do you still remember,

how each day you descended into

that dark hell, laid your life

on the line, just to clothe

your family and your wife? 

I do.

Do you still remember,

how throwing crumbs from the window,

with skill the blackie's song you imitated;

settling down with a smile,

the humble comforts of our home appreciated?

I do.

Well dad,

it's been ten years since you died,

I still remember this and much more.

Then I always will ------- for a portrait

of your humble courage

hangs on a wall,

somewhere in my heart.

The Gift.

You promised me Jerusalem

a socialist paradise,

I have world

of greed,

brutality and lies.

You promised me Jerusalem

a land of hope and plenty.

I have a world

of want,

fear and envy.

Still,

from the bottom of my heart

I thank you for your gift,

a precious dream. I thank you dad,

for all your life you tried. 

Just a thought:

The Seasons.

When you look, it's plain to see,

spring has crossed these mountains,

--------------many years before;

kissed their slopes, with shoots of hope,

promised so much more.

Then sweeping in, in a blaze of life,

summer saw the promises bloom,

---------------many years before;

bathed the dreams, in bounteous streams,

birds began to soar.

So with stealth, and deceptive charm,

autumn cooled the gurgling streams,

-----------------many years before;

slowed their pace, to one of grace,

quietly closed a door.

Now with vulgar haste, and callous force,

winter assaults those mighty peaks,

----------------of many years before;

as gathering clouds, spread their shroud,

memories start to pour.  

       I hope my little wander down that bye-way brought something to you, and prodded you mind away, for a while, from our Covid19 plagued and trouble strewn world.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Imperial History.

The British state, Fighters of fascism???

       I am somewhat shocked to hear voices from the “left” refer to WW2 as our fight to defeat fascism. Surely they have some grasp of the history of this country. We didn’t go to war with Germany to defeat fascism, we went to war with that country to stop it being a rival or a threat to the resources of the British Empire, as was WW1.
     WW1 had nothing to do with the shooting of a pompous Duke, it was all about the German Empire planning to build the Berlin to Baghdad railway. This would have give Germany tremendous influence in Iraq and other countries in that region, allowing it to move resources and troops in and out of that area much quicker than the British Empire, and Iraq was an oil rich country that the British claimed as theirs. So we super-doper imperialist would have to teach the nasty German Empire a lesson. Of course we all know it didn’t turn out quite like that, the conflict turned Europe into a bloody altar where the youth of nations soaked the soil of Europe in blood. The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War1, was around 40 million. There were 20 million deaths and 21 million wounded. The total number of deaths includes 9.7 million military personnel and about 10 million civilians.

 
       This film is on Spirit of Revolt audio/video section.

     The German Empire was decimated and that suited the British Empire, allowing it to lord it over a vast section of the world, pillaging and plunder land after land. Fast forward and along comes a guy whose intention is rebuild the German Empire, this posed a threat to the arrogant imperialist that control the British Empire. So once again our lords and masters decided to teach that nasty Germany Empire a lesson, and as they say, the rest is history, or it should be, not a truth lost in an illusion of imperialists propaganda. World War 2 was the deadliest military conflict in history. An estimated total of 70–85 million people perished, which was about 3% of the 1940 world population (est. 2.3 billion).
     By now we should all know that the British state never goes to war to defeat fascism, it trades with them as long as it is beneficial to them, it goes to war to protect or enlarge its resources, power and wealth, and the people can go to hell in a hand cart.
      It’s the the weekend, have some music.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Insanity Reigns.

        It is difficult to comment on the recent drone killing in Iraq by the irrational and impulsive action of Herr Trump, the possibilities for misery, carnage, chaos, death and destruction, involving millions of innocent people, is so multi-faceted that the mind draws back in horror and disbelief. However, it is a reality and must be faced and met with mass protests and direct action against all those who for whatever reason support this insanity. This is just the latest act of bloody imperialism by the US establishment, the latest in a long line that goes back more than a century. The blood of innocents drips from every dollar, countries become metropolises of misery and populations become an army of migrants, as a result of the US foreign policy, aided and abetted by its varies poodles dotted around the planet, including that previous blood soaked imperialist state of the UK.

     Sanity and humanity demands that we do our utmost to bring down this festering system of plundering the planet by the powerful for their own gain. As long as capitalism exists, power will dominate, wars will persist, death and destruction will be a daily occurrence for millions, and waves of displaced people will wash across the planet in search of safety and sanctuary. As always the rich and powerful will gain, the poor will always pay the price in sweat and blood. 

        Who can disagree with this extract from an article by Black Rose Anarchist Federation

In today's world, a daily occurrence for millions. 

        We share the view of fallen Black freedom fighter and Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. that “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world: my own government. I cannot be silent.” Much of the world has become a scorched battlefield for over two centuries as the dark shadow of U.S. imperialism, resource extraction, and capital accumulation first spanned the continent, then the globe. Through the colonization of indigenous peoples in the Americas to imperialist expansion around the world, this great purveyor of violence has displaced, imprisoned, tortured, enslaved, and killed untold millions. It is no surprise that in our time, through an endless “war on terror” that the darkest areas of this shadow have engulfed the broader Middle East.
        We stand in solidarity with the people of Iran and the Middle East who have suffered greatly from U.S. imperialism. The 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup that ousted Iran’s first democratically elected prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh and brought the oppressive shah back to power made the ground fertile for the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Since then, the U.S. has been directly involved in destabilizing both Iran, and later, Iraq; first starting with the Iran-Iraq war (1980). The Gulf War of 1990-91, the intermittent bombings as well as the sanctions and blockade that lasted through the 90s, the 2003 invasion and ensuing occupation, and the battle against ISIS can more accurately be viewed as a three decade long war waged by the U.S. Intermittent threats of war against Iran, crippling economic sanctions and drone warfare have finally come to a tipping point. The world waits in horror as lines are drawn in the sand and Trump openly threatens to commit war crimes in Iran through the targeting of cultural sites. Millions of people who are desperately trying to escape the clutches of this endless war have fled their homes: the U.S. is guilty of creating the largest refugee and humanitarian crises since WWII. We demand: U.S. Out of the Middle East!

Read the full article HERE:
       My only disagreement with the above statement is that it is not "Out of the Middle East", it is off the face of the planet for all imperialism, capitalism.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk